ATS Euromaster to Manage Ambulance Fleet’s Tyres

Britain’s largest ambulance trust, the North West Ambulance Service, has signed a deal with ATS Euromaster to fit Michelin cold weather tyres to its fleet of 135 rapid response cars. The NHS Trust covers Cumbria, Lancashire, Mersey Regional, Cheshire and Greater Manchester. It selected the cold weather tyres for its ‘blue-light’ Ford Mondeos, Skoda Elegances / Scouts and Volvo V50s. The tyres are being delivered directly to nominated Trust vehicle workshops across the North West, with ATS Euromaster’s extensive mobile tyre fitting fleet – the largest of its type in the country – used to co-ordinate the replacements promptly on-site.

NWAS fleet manager (operations) Mick Sweetmore said: “We cover approximately 5,500 square miles of the country with a population of seven million people, and get more than a million emergency calls each year. Whatever the weather it is essential that our crews are able to reach patients safely to provide the necessary care without compromise.

“I am not sure any of us expected such harsh winter conditions to have arrived so early this year, but that actually just makes this new policy even more important. Cold weather tyres make a significant difference which will enable our operational colleagues to keep mobile in the cold, as well as when driving on ice and snow.”

He added: “We know there is high demand for winter tyres across Europe so we are particularly pleased that ATS Euromaster has been able to react so quickly to our needs and supply fitments in all of the required tyre sizes from a single brand.”

ATSE says every summer tyre removed will receive a thorough safety inspection before being carefully stored for the winter, ready for re-fitting by the mobile tyre technicians during late March and April 2011.  The part-worn cold weather tyres will then receive the same comprehensive safety inspection before being stored until next winter.

In placing the order for cold weather tyres, NWAS has taken advantage of a pan-government tyre sourcing initiative established by the Office of Government Commerce in 2007 and available to Public Sector Organisations across the UK. It allows PSOs to share in significant cost savings when purchasing tyres and associated services from a select group of approved suppliers which include ATS Euromaster.

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